Getting your net worth to zero implies paying off debts, things like cars, credit cards, student loans, etc.  Basically, half of increasing net worth involves decreasing these drains on it.  It will also make you money, in some cases even a better return than most stock investors get.

 Consider a typical credit card.  There is a $2000 balance, and an interest rate of 18%.  You pay the minimum balance of 2% each month ($40).  Meanwhile, you have a Money market account earning 4.5% a year that also has $2000.  Watch what happens to the credit card balance with just the $40 payments.

1. $2000.00
2. $1989.40
3. $1978.64
4. $1967.72

After 4 months you still haven’t taken $40 off the balance, but you’ve spent $120, let’s see what the money market is doing (assuming it pays monthly)

1. $2000.00
2. $2007.50
3. $2015.02
4. $2022.58

$80 (roughly) paid into interest (so not helping net worth) minus the $22.58 in the money market (increasing net worth). leaves you with -$57.42 in net worth.  In this case paying off the credit card in full is actually a 34% annualized return on investment because of the amount of interest you save.  In a world where 6% is a decent return, and 15% if phenomenal, don’t you woe it to yourself to get 34%?

It is always better to pay off your credit card in full each month.

This is by far the best way to “stick it to the man” because the only money the credit card companies earn from you is the small fees they charge merchants to do business.